Karezi: The Do-Over
by FabioArtsAndFarts
Summary: Terezi remembers how she and Karkat became a couple, going through their history and pasts.
1. Chapter 1

Every once in a while, Terezi Pyrope laid down and thought. It was one of the things she was best at, considering nothing visible would distract her. Being blind had its perks, after all. Terezi didn't remember much before she'd had her incident anyway, so it wasn't like she had a lot to miss. Really, the only down side was wondering what face matched the voices of her closest friends.

Her boyfriend (though he'd never admit it freely, or make advances in public) pitied her, and she knew it. It bothered her only slightly, because she was very good at detecting when a person was lying. She could easily tell if he did something because it was only right to help the little red headed, disabled girl, or because he wanted to, for love.

Love. The subject crossed Terezi's mind, and she felt her smile widen and pointed, sharp canine teeth, bare. Was she in love with Karkat? She felt like it. After years of friendly arguments, friendly battles of wits, and friendly challenges of strength, Terezi had hoped for something more. She wasn't disappointed; that Valentine's Day, Karkat had thrust a bouquet of red roses into her arms and cried she "better fucking like them". Of course she did. They smelled wonderful, and Terezi was amazed he remembered they were her favorite scent.

Where was Karkat? Busy at Blockbusters? No, Vriska never made him work the front desk on weekends. She learned that the hard way when he screamed at a woman looking to rent a romantic comedy. Terezi chuckled at the memory of Karkat coming home that afternoon.

"She was such a fucking idiot! I mean, everyone on the face of this fucking spherical planet knows good and well that _Hope Springs_ had an ending that was shat out by Meryl Streep's ugly elephant of an ass-mother and dialogue that could have been written by any fuckass with knowledge of the senile, horny and aroused elderly! Jesus fucking christ!" Karkat screamed. It went on for hours more, but Terezi had stopped listening after a while and only continued to revel in the amazingly wide selection of curses Karkat spewed.

She ran her hand over the cool, wrinkled bed cover. She had asked Karkat why he never bothered to make it up and fix it, or at least straighten out the sheets once in awhile. He told her he never cared really, and she couldn't see it anyway, so what was the point? Terezi never answered. She didn't mind the bed either, but she hated when people acknowledged her weakness. All she wanted was to be like everybody else.

Terezi sighed and closed her eyes. Not for the effect, but the feeling of being relaxed. To her, nothing had changed as her lids snapped shut. Every time she decided to lie down and think, which wasn't too often, it made her dredge up all the depressing memories compiled over the years.

Karkat asking how many fingers he was holding up; Nepeta wondering if she saw how amazing the lion exhibit was that one time they went to the zoo; Sollux saying he'd be able to smell like she could after he recovered from the accident; it all cut into her heart, but she never showed it. Ah, the accident. It was the perfect topic for her right now.

She looked back at the memory, not fondly, but...glad it was there in the first place. Sollux was driving, a wise choice considering Terezi's condition.

"Where are you taking me tonight?" she'd asked.

Sollux grumbled something under his breath, too soft for even Terezi's excellent senses to decipher. "What?" she questioned. Sollux shook his head and glared out of his window.

"Ugh, fine, be that way, you ugly mustard jackass!" Terezi whined.

Sollux looked up from the wheel and turned to her with an idiotic grin. "'Mustard jackass'? Where the hell did you pull that one from, TZ?"

Terezi snorted at her nickname and cramped herself against the car door. Without taking his eyes off the road, Sollux placed his palm over her opposite hand, which sat lightly on the arm of her seat.

"It's just a surprise, okay?" Sollux mumbled. Terezi giggled at the appearance of his lisp, which was always there, but barely noticeable until he pronounced words starting with "S". Sollux squeezed Terezi's fist, a gentle comfort and attempt to make her shut up. She took the hint, ever so begrudgingly, but quit snickering. Sollux sighed at the wheel as horns blared around them and he came to a creeping stop.

"What's going on?" Terezi asked, confused. Sollux hated the delay. It was making him nervous. He was already terrified in the pit of his stomach. Something cold clutched his insides and flipped them inside out. What was this- this sudden grip of horror? Traffic had them cornered, which made it all the more difficult for him to hurry and have this whole night over with. Sollux was not the romantic kind of guy, no; he was the kind of guy who got cold feet if he had to wait more than he anticipated. He took it as a sign, a prophecy. He wasn't supposed to be doing this kind of thing at some fancy restaurant, even when he made the reservation weeks in advance. It wasn't right.

Sollux took his hand off the wheel and clutched the outside of his pocket. The round edges of the velvet box felt like a death threat. How stupid was he? Like Terezi would really say yes to him. Like anybody would really say yes to him. There went the entire night with one build-up of cars strewn across the highway. An emotional turmoil swept over his body, reducing him to a frustrated mess.

With a grunt, Sollux slammed his head against the horn. It raged against the opposing cars, joining in the warfare. Terezi nearly leapt out of her skin, but returned to her cool composure. "What the hell, Sollux? Are you okay tonight? Maybe we should just go home," she suggested with an undetectable tremor in her voice.

He only continued smashing against the car, unable to do much more than groan at his own stupidity. How had he not seen this coming? Everything was going to go wrong and there was nothing Sollux could do to stop it. He closed his eyes and yanked both of his hands into his hair. He wanted to rip it all out, and even more so to yank his head off. Maybe he'd be like a chicken and live for another five days or something. It would be better than looking at Terezi in this moment, this pure nervous, shaking, pit feeling troubling his body.

"Sollux! If you don't tell me right now, I'm getting out of this car and you can watch me die in the street where I can't see a damn thing," Terezi threatened.

Sollux jerked himself back in his seat. "You want to know what we're doing tonight?! Fine! I was going to give you this piece of shit. But the universe hates me, as is obvious right now by the hugeass swarm of vehicles piled up around us!" He threw the box into her lap. It bounced over her thighs, but she managed to grip it after two or three fumbling and embarrassing attempts.

"I don't know why you're being so melodramatic, dude. It's just a box and it doesn't even-"

Sollux yanked the accursed thing from Terezi's hands. He ripped it open, popped the diamond ring from its casing, and shoved it back into her fingers. Terezi twisted it over and over, feeling and trying to understand what the little thing-

Oh.

"Sol...is this what I think it is?" Terezi asked slowly. She was drawing it out. Sollux felt like she was doing it on purpose, forcing him to listen for more than was necessary, because it pleased her. He was glad she couldn't see his expression; it was of pure angst and worry. He swallowed a nervous lump in his throat, at the same time attempting to hold down his lunch. He felt his skin prickle with heat. There wasn't anywhere to run, no server or chat he could quit and come back to when he had a decent reply, this was now. Now was happening, and now was what scared him the most.

Sollux stared out his window and ended up looking in the car to his left. A couple were cuddled together in the driver's seat, disgustingly enough. Sollux's urge to vomit grew that much stronger. He swiveled quickly and looked past Terezi. Another couple were tackling each other and digging into their partner's skin. That was ten times worse! Sollux straightened himself with a choking cough that left him barely breathing.

"Sollux? I can't tell what you're doing exactly, but you haven't answered my question," Terezi chided. Sollux only grunted and shoved his face into his palms. He didn't have the answers, and Terezi was expecting them. She thought he could handle this, but what if he let her down?

"TZ, just...look, okay? It's a stupid engagement ring and you don't have to like it. I'll take it back if you want and you never have to think about it ever again, alright? Why don't we drive home once traffic clears up and I'll help you move your stuff out. And don't worry about it, I'd dump me too if I were you, so there's no bad feelings," Sollux gushed. He could feel his heart splitting open and head beginning to swim. He slapped his hands down on his knees, which were knotted with a few of his dark brown strands of short hair. He thought to look in the rearview mirror, and tutted at the mess he'd created. His bangs flopped every which way and the rest looked like a monkey picked through his hair for grub.

Sollux turned to Terezi, ready to continue exploding about how she could leave without any kind of remorse, and was caught by a pleasant surprise; Terezi pressed her lips against his and let her tongue dive through his mouth. _She has surprisingly good aim for a blind girl,_ Sollux thought in the back of his head. Soon the rest of the world melted away to a dark blur, and all he could feel was the heat of Terezi folded against him. Almost losing her balance, Terezi clutched Sollux's bony shoulder and worked onwards. Her mouth burned against his like it was coated in molten lava; Sollux was on fire.

Although he felt whole, complete, and like life had been sparked into his corpse of a heart, the kiss was broken as Terezi leaned back into her seat. Her hand left a tingling sensation behind as it tripped down Sollux's arm and into her lap once again. Finally, Sollux got a good look at Terezi's left hand, and how stunning the ring looked on her stocky finger. Tiny cuts of topaz sat in a collective circle around the two and a half carat diamond, patted down against a shining silver band. Terezi toyed with it continuously, showing her appreciation. Thankfully, cars began to gradually pick up the pace and head along the highway, as Sollux realized something.

They were fender to fender, and he didn't feel like there were anymore risks he could take that night. He dropped the wheel, much to the annoyance of the other drivers, and wrapped his arms around Terezi gently.

"You know, you never actually said yes," Sollux recalled.

Terezi pressed her nose to his with a cackle, and licked her lips hungrily.

"My answer should have been obvious, Sollux, but y-"  
Screeching rang down the highway. Everything was burned in a flash of brilliant white light, while all Sollux could do in the middle of the road was cover her as much as he could. Protect. Then, the light faded from his world, and everything was dipped into a pit of barely audible screaming, sobbing, and the slow spin into unconsciousness.  
Darkness. Silence. No, wait. He could hear faintly. Someone was screeching, another was crying, and one tried to moan her words.  
_Terezi!_ Sollux wailed.


	2. Chapter 2

_Terezi! Terezi, where are you?!_ Sollux raved. She couldn't speak either. Wait, either? No, for some reason, neither of them could get anything past thought. Sirens snapped into the background. Someone was yelling they were sorry, sorry, so very sorry. It was all their fault. They hadn't meant to do this. It was an accident. Oh, no, look at all the blood.

Terezi felt a freezing spasm in her cheeks and forehead. Her nose was shrieking in agony, like her arms and neck. Everything hurt so much. There was something limp, wet and warm pressed against her sides. Yet...that something was cold at the same time? What- Sollux. They were his arms, splattered with blood and his skin losing temperature. Terezi tried to move off of him, maybe help alleviate some of his pain in the process, but found herself a rag doll. Movement was nearly impossible.  
"I've got the girl," a man called back to whatever was in the distance. Terezi felt firm, leather hands wrap around her arms. She moaned, making as much noise as possible. Of course the heavy grip didn't understand her, but she was desperate for someone to grab Sollux and keep him safe. She wanted nothing more than for him to be alive, for him to be alright.  
Terezi felt her legs swing into a kind of suspended bed, one that pressed against the pain on the outside of her arms. She cursed over and over in her head, feeling that the repetitiveness might ease the discomfort. Clunking people bustled around her and sat at the edges of the room, which she heard heavy doors close on shortly. Wait! Where was Sollux?! Wasn't he coming?  
The room broke forward, rolling on and speeding up. Terezi wanted to cry out, wanted to scream and get some of this stabbing hurt out of her, but it was impossible. Her mouth wasn't working right, and it frustrated her. Not only was she blind now, but lost in the dark with nothing to do. She couldn't speak, move, barely hear, and her nose was being ripped off her face. Nothing would help her and all she wanted was to be unconscious, or to be back in the car with Sollux, telling him to start moving before whatever happened did.  
"You wanna give her the gas, chief?" a female voice asked, though it was very masculine and boyish. Other people at the edges murmured, wondering if she really needed it or could hold out. _Yes, yes, give me the gas! Give me the gas!_ Terezi screamed inside. She managed a moan and let it escalate in volume. If she was so distressed, they'd have to fume her, and she knew it. Whatever it was, she wanted it. She wanted anything, anything at all. Just to get rid of this feeling.  
Guilt, physical injury, longing, worry, and this indescribable pressure in her chest. It weighed so much, and all Terezi desired in that moment was to be free. Get away, run. Terezi stopped and listened. The noise was gone. She couldn't hear anything, not even the murmurs around her. Something plastic was pressed over her cheeks, and she felt it through all the hurt, barely. Smog coated her face and broke through her throat and into her lungs. It pushed its way deep within Terezi, and she was unable to escape the dry, squeezing feeling that filled her core. Slowly, though, all her senses joined her sight; they became black, nothing, feelingless.  
Terezi dreamed. She hadn't in years- not since she lost her sight. She'd been hit in the head when she was eight, but she didn't know who did it or what it was. Her parents wouldn't tell her, insisting that it was better she never knew. Now, at the age of nineteen, eleven years later, she was seeing in her sleep. Everything was tinted differently than she remembered it though; the sky was pink and the sun was brown. The grass was blue and her skin was green. Terezi didn't care though. She was seeing!  
She was in her old neighborhood, where she'd first met her best friends. The sidewalk looked like some kind of candy cane, striped diagonally with red and white. Terezi knelt down and rubbed her finger over it. She stuck it in her mouth, tasting for a few seconds to see-  
Nope, nope, that wasn't candy. She spat, hacked, and wiped her mouth with her forearm. In doing so, she realized she didn't have her glasses. She didn't need them here, not with her vision. She chuckled, glad to be rid of them. From behind, she heard a similar laugh.

Terezi wheeled around and faced her adversary. "Vriska?" she asked, unsure if it was her through the strange neon colors. Her normally sandy blonde hair was bright magenta, pale skin turned red, and all of her blue clothing and glasses shaded white. Vriska nodded, slowly approaching Terezi step by step.

"What are you doing?" Terezi faltered. She was starting to become nervous; Vriska had a dead look in her eyes and approached with a ghostly flow.  
"Returning a favor," Vriska's monotone, cold voice replied. The strange thing was, her mouth didn't move as she spoke. Terezi squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, returning to the all too familiar darkness, and opened them again. Nothing changed. The wild colors were gone, the old faces vanished. But they were still there. She felt Vriska and several others stroking her body, and then was hoisted into the last, she screamed.  
Her cries of fear belted through the dream, filling every aspect. The crowd below was mumbling and talking quietly amongst themselves. She didn't understand. What were they doing? She picked one voice over the others; it was Karkat, her oldest and best friend.  
"We're paying you back," he whispered. Terezi was about to ask for what, what had she done, when they dropped her to the ground. She landed with a heavy thud, rubbing her back and bottom. Somewhere in the darkness, a foot came into her ribs. Terezi screeched, crying and asking why, why, why.  
"You killed him! You killed him! If you'd told him the traffic was moving he'd be alive! You killed him! You killed him!" they chanted, over and over.  
They all began to rip into her, tearing at her flesh and face. Breaking bones, drawing blood. But...eventually, it all slowed to a soft, cushioned feeling. Terezi lay there, limp and bloodied, ready to die. Sollux was already gone, and maybe she could have saved him. Maybe if she told him what she thought, that the cars were coming for them and he better pick up the wheel, maybe he'd be alive. She wasn't sure, but her gut feeling said he wasn't coming back. He wasn't opening his eyes again.  
He had lost his life, the one thing that was worth saving. And now...Terezi's sobs burst as her body became hollow. She felt an emptiness in her core, something so strong that made her want to rid herself of everything she had. Tears, emotions, thoughts...maybe she'd be better off dead. She and Sollux; together forever, in the afterlife.  
But, what was happening then? If she wanted to die, why could she feel again? Her arms were sore and stinging, and her face were freezing. Someone was sleeping in the corner; she could tell by their soft, deep breathing. Terezi's throat was painfully dry. She realized she was lying down, and wanted desperately to sit upright. Her arms could move now, unlike a few hours ago. She struggled to move, but managed to sit up a few inches. Her neck popped audibly as she licked her cracked lips.  
"Eh...Terezi? Oh thank god, you're awake!" Karkat pronounced in relief. She could only nod slightly and run her hands over the crisp covering of sheets. "Do you...uh, wanna sit up?" he asked.  
Terezi nodded again, and felt his stubby hands pull and lean her up against the flat, lifeless pillows.  
"Where am I?" Terezi managed to croak. Karkat sat beside her, careful not to disturb the rest of her body.  
"The hospital. Of course the fucking idiotic doctors decided to have a fucking epiphany and take you to the one on the upper north side of town instead of the much closer and cleaner south. I tried to tell them, so don't fucking blame me. I'm just here looking after your broken ass body and deteriorating immune system while the fucking geniuses here think that an old man's heart failure is more important than my best friend!" Karkat erupted. Terezi thought him hilarious in his angry state, but her voice was nearly useless and she felt laughter would kill her insides.

"You think we could get...some water?" Terezi asked with a hearty gulp. Where was her saliva? Her mouth had transformed into a barren wasteland. The sound of skin against skin echoed through the tight space as Karkat slapped his forehead.

"Yeah, yeah. I should have fucking thought of that, but my brain's been reduced to a shitpile of glowing sludge lately. Those fucking chairs aren't exactly the most comfortable fucking pieces for lounging and reclining for a couple days," he complained.

Terezi said, surprised, "You've been here with me for that long?"

She heard the scuffle of Karkat's sneakers against the tile as he halted, a foot away from the door.

"Well, duh. I was going between you and Sollux to be perfectly honest, but you snore, so it was just the epitome of my jackass life to try and sleep around you. I stayed with Sollux mostly."

Terezi felt her heart leap through her skin and trample every other emotion she'd been harboring for the past few hours. Even while unconscious, the guilt boiled like a hot spring.

"That's fantastic! Is he awake too? Would the nurse wheel him into my room? I wanna talk to him, and where are all my clothes and stuff, now that I think about it?" Terezi chattered.

"Ter...Tere...Terezi!" Karkat shouted, running over her rambling.

"What?" she asked, slightly annoyed.

"Sollux isn't in the best condition. They're trying to operate on him soon, but...he got a lot of glass stuck in his arms, his fingers are either sprained or broken, and...uh, well, he can't see anymore."

Terezi let the information sink around her, encasing her in another bout of depression and guilt. Sollux lost his vision? He...he was blind? Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no.

Terezi felt the stab of a howl crawl its way up her cracking throat, threatening to destroy her very sanity. She'd brought it upon him. She could have stopped him. She could have saved him. A tear escaped her careful clutches, and slowly rolled its way down her pale, freckled cheeks. Karkat cursed under his breath and was by her side in a few, short strides.

"Look, I didn't mean to make you cry," Karkat explained as gently as he could, "but yeah, he's not gonna be seeing for a while. They're pretty sure it's permanent. The good thing is though, his head slammed into the dashboard pretty hard in the crash, and they straightened out his mouth! No more shitty lisp anymore for him, yay, the world is one hundred fucking percent better."

Karkat sighed and rested a hand on Terezi's thigh. Curling away, gentle to not disturb what she found to be tubes and patches across her body, Terezi shivered visibly.

"I'll...just get the water," Karkat offered. He slid out the door step by step, continuing to look back upon her cringing body.


	3. Chapter 3

He traveled down the seemingly endless hallways, past dozens of nurses, and lost himself in all the intersecting corridors.

No friendly faces guided him along, but it was alright, because he was a leader and could find his own way. Goddammit, if only Sollux was there with him. He'd be giving instructions like the asshole he is, but not being an obnoxious fucking douchebag about it either. Karkat sighed heavily and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He hunched his shoulders, forcing the collar of his usual black turtleneck to crouch over the edges of his earlobes.

After going down all the wrong paths and bumping into too many wildly unhealthy patients, Karkat managed to find the cafeteria. It was filled with families, more often than not buying small doses of food with pocket money, and single visitors. The lines weren't too bad considering it was two in the afternoon, and it was mostly just the huge set of dining booths that were crowded. Karkat had no intention of eating in one, but was forced to acknowledge his now screeching stomach. If he had learned anything through his life, it was that he did not do well with an antagonizing rage of hunger boiling in his pit.

Karkat hopped past the glass cases of fruits and vegetables, through the meats, and into the deli. Rotting sandwiches were displayed at the very front while what seemed good was stocked in the back. What kind of idiot designed this arrangement? He rolled his eyes and glared over the unappetizing options. Each assaulted his nose like it was ready for war, and none of them seemed all too pleasant when the counterman was holding them out for Karkat's inspection. He was a picky eater, that was true, but he became agitated with his sense of taste quickly when starving. His heavy, bushy black eyebrows pinched together and forced him to squint angrily.

"Have you made up your mind yet, sir?" the impatient employee asked, rudely. Karkat grumbled curses under his breath, saying how the young man should stick certain things into certain places. "I'm sorry, didn't catch that," the little snot asked with a stupid, dipshit smile.

"I said," Karkat's voice began to rise dramatically, "that you can take that annoying, pinchy, grandmother loving face of your's and yank it out of your donkey shit ridden ASS, anytime you're fucking ready!"

The skinny, pimple adorned teenager shrunk back in his position. "Hey, c-c-calm down man, before I call security!"

Karkat rolled his eyes and stepped back from the deli. "Nevermind," he said with a growl, "I don't want your fucking food anyway."

He shoved past the astounded visitors and glaring mothers as they uncovered their children's ears. He didn't really give a fuck if any of them were looking at him, staring, or disapproving of his choice in words. It was his fucking life and he was going to live it the way he wanted.

He looped around the corner, yanking a plastic cup off the fountain table full of sodas and tea pitchers, and headed for any water fountain. Karkat was done with everything. He was breaking under pressure, and that was something that upset him the most.

"Hey Karkat!" a high pitched, boy's voice yelled from somewhere behind him. Karkat knew immediately who it was and who he had most likely brought. Not in the mood to deal with the kid and huge bitch, Karkat continued on his way with a middle finger held high just for them. The assholes should have felt fucking special.

"Hey, wait up!" the kid called again.

Karkat stopped mid-stride, and with a heavy breath, turned. His hair hung past his eyes and flopped down to his nose, purposely covering the infuriated expression scribbled across his face.

"There you are! Karkat, I can't believe you didn't call us! We came as soon as we heard!" John said with that annoyingly cheerful ring in his voice.

"Yeah," Vriska said with a malicious smile, "we felt so terrible after the news about Terezi and Sollux. How're they doing, anyway? Terezi's eyeballs out of her head yet?"

"Shut the fuck up, Vriska!" Karkat screamed. John giggled behind her, thinking it was just another friendly greeting between old neighbors. "You guys are hilarious! But Karkat, we were wondering when we could see them! You know, Terezi and Sollux?"

Karkat huffed, his nails digging into his palms as they turned into fists. The styrofoam cup in his right hand crumbled and popped in his rage.

"Just shut your ugly, fat lipped mouth, Egbert! Like you know anything about either of them! You're not even close! Just- ugh, do you even know their last names?! Both of you better fucking walk out of that brutal revolving contraption serving as the shit exit right this hellish minute, or else, assholes!" he shouted.

John left his mouth drooping open as he stared at Karkat's flushed cheeks. Vriska watched Karkat with a deadpan expression, then poked him squarely in the chest with one of her long, teal fingernails. Her tan skin crinkled as she let loose a snarl, and silky blonde hair flew over her shoulders. "Listen here," she nearly barked.

"You think you're in charge of taking care of those weak little chickens? Just because you and Terezi were close little grubs? Might wanna think again, bighead. You're not the only one who cares about those two dumbasses upstairs, and you're not the only one who intends to help them and be a good friend! So just shut up with your little lectures about how well we know them, how much we care, and what you think is the right thing to do! Lay off and let everyone else carry some of the weight, alright, idiot?" Vriska growled, her electric blue eyes alight with the burn of passion gleaming.

Karkat hung his head of mussy black hair, a few weak sniffling noises escaping him.

"Kar? Are you alright?" John asked, reaching forward and resting a hand against his shaking shoulder.

He swatted John's arm away quickly, rubbing his reddening eyes, and swiping streaks of tears from his cheeks. "Get the fuck off, Egbert! No one needs your sloppy, misplaced pity!"

John giggled quietly and returned to his position behind Vriska. Karkat glared through his watering eyes and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. He had felt the gigantic pressure on his back lifted, the pressure telling him it was his job alone to care for his two best friends. He couldn't have help, he wasn't allowed to ask for assistance. Or was he? Now Vriska stood before him, screeching in his ear that he had no choice but to do exactly that. It was comforting, enraging, and a gift from above.

He croaked through his dry throat, "They're upstairs. I was getting Terezi water, since she woke up. Sollux...is in worse condition. They think he'll be permanently blind. Terezi's pretty much okay though, because she was just a little banged up. Uh...I think I need another cup though."

Vriska cackled casually, and took Karkat by the shoulder to lead him for the cafeteria table. John took her other hand, and placed a light kiss on her cheek. It was a bad time to announce their relationship...so it seemed their news would just have to wait.


End file.
